Exam Time: Associate God in your Studies

Christian students tend to forget that their Heavenly Father wants to be part of every aspect of their lives, including school. At times, we just murmur a simple prayer of blessing upon our studies and leave the rest to ourselves. In school, I came to see the difference between studying my way and associating God in my studies. ‘Studying my way’ was overwhelming, stressful, and uncertain while associating God in my studies brought direction, peace, assurance, and rest because I did my best and left everything in the Father’s hand. I would like to encourage you ladies to associate the Lord in your studies to enjoy His leadership. Here’s how:

Pray and commit everything to God. It’s always a good practice to pray before starting any schoolwork. In that way, the Holy Spirit can guide your way of studying, inspire things in your mind, and equip you accordingly. In your prayer, rebuke every spirit of distraction, obstacle, failure, etc. Pray to submit to God’s will.

Regardless of your study method, make sure to do your best and leave the rest to God. I always like to emphasize this part because it’s so easy to get overwhelmed when we’re studying for an exam. This is usually as a result of wanting to cover anything and everything within a short period of time. That’s why it’s crucial to associate God in our study so He can direct us. Remember it’s not by might nor by power but by the Spirit that all can go well with you. Psalm 127:2 puts it this way: “It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.”

When the d-day arrives for you to head to your examination room, I will highly recommend you to spend some time in prayer before stepping outside your house. This is the time to commit your mind and being to the Father. It’s the time to engage in spiritual warfare by rebuking every spirit of fear, anxiety, and doubt. This is also the time to pray against evil spirits that will be in that exam room in order that they will have no power over you. Many Christian students ignore that in an exam room there are other students with different faiths: Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Goths, witches, etc. Everyone employs his/her own tactic to achieve good academic results, therefore, Christian students should resort to divine protection.

Do not cheat no matter what! Ladies, I know the feeling of coming to a question and you are totally blank! At that moment, it’s much easier to look where you’re not supposed to or ask friends for help; but then in that case, what’s the point of associating God in your studies? Why rely on God and concurrently ‘court’ the devil? Don’t give the devil a foothold. If you can’t remember an answer, skip the question and come back to it later on or try your best to write anything that makes sense. Trust me professors appreciate students who do their best on a question rather than leaving it blank. Show to the Father that you are willing to honor Him even when He doesn’t allow you to have an answer.

Don’t get involved in after-exam talks. It’s a trend in school that after an exam is over, people get together to discuss answers; I always politely avoided these talks. Why? Because when you hear answers here and there, you start to panic and wonder if you appropriately answered a question. Consequently, you become anxious and disturbed. I would rather concentrate on praying for the Father’s favor upon my exam than worrying. Another practice is to take a stand in prayer against the people grading your paper, so that the devil will not prevail. Now, when you finally get your results, whether more or less than expected, praise and thank the Lord in everything. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:6-7. Thanksgiving brings peace while complaining and sadness bring sorrow. Don’t worry, it is well in Jesus’ name!

Associating God in your studies will be a blessing to you ladies. There’s no better option than to be guided by our Heavenly Father instead of going through the academic struggle alone. Learn to submit to God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you.